


the best us

by softintelligence



Category: Dangan-Ronpa
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-25
Updated: 2012-12-25
Packaged: 2017-11-22 08:44:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/607964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softintelligence/pseuds/softintelligence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In high school sports, there are only two types of seasons: pre-season and game season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the best us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [estuary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/estuary/gifts).



> Alternate high school that isn't Hope's Peak. No spoilers for the game.

During the winter pre-season, Aoi and Sakura take turns waiting for each others' practices to end. This week, it's Sakura's turn to wait for Aoi, so Aoi takes her time showering and getting ready. It doesn't take her long to begin with, but it's nice to be able to gossip with the other girls on the team about the boys' team, or even just other girls in general. Other girls, like Shiori-chan, the second best swimmer on the team, whistle in her direction. "Sakura- _cha-an_ is waiting outside for you, Aoi!" and Aoi just giggles a little and snaps the strap on Shiori-chan's swimsuit.

"Don't be rude, Shiori-chan," Aoi says, as she rinses her legs. "Didn't you say that Kenta-kun is waiting outside for you, too?"

Shiori sighs. "He's supposed to be, but I don't know ... Maybe he'll see Sakura-chan and run ..."

Aoi steps out from under the water to grab her towel and dry her hair. She pat-dries the swimsuit as much as she can. "If he runs away at the sight of Sakura-chan, you know he's just a coward on the inside." She huffs when Shiori laughs like she doesn't believe her, and Aoi dresses in her bra and panties while simultaneously pulling the swimsuit off.

She stuff the towel next to the other swimsuits inside her locker; the swimsuit she locks to the front of her locker to let it dry out for tomorrow morning. "Bye, everyone!" she yells, and there's a chorus of goodbyes from the rest of the swimmers who are still getting ready. 

Aoi hitches her bag onto her shoulder and rushes outside. Sakura is standing her usual distance away from the locker rooms, next to a bench. Sure enough, Kenta-kun is waiting outside with her, his legs shaking. Aoi worries that he might have peed himself in fear. 

"Sakura-chan!" Aoi runs up to her and hugs her, throwing her arms as far around her as she can manage. Sakura pats her on the head.

"Asahina," Sakura-chan says. "Good evening. Was practice fruitful?"

"Yeah!" Aoi lets go and looks over at Kenta-kun, who looks like he might pass out. "Kenta-kun, don't worry, Sakura only bodyslams people in the wrestling ring! You don't have to worry about anything!" She reaches over and pats him on the shoulder, and Kenta-kun sits down on the bench.

"Wh-wh-what about that time ..." Kenta-kun whispers.

"Ah," Sakura says. Her eyes go bright in that way Aoi loves, that means she's passionate about something, and Aoi's stomach feels like the night before a match. "That time ... Togami tried to damage Asahina's honor. I had to recover it." 

"Sakura-chan is so romantic," Aoi sighs, holding her hands over the middle of her chest. She swears she sees Sakura's face turning a little pink. "Let's walk home now! Bye, Kenta-kun!" She swipes at Sakura's hand and starts dragging her away toward the school gate.

"Asahina," Sakura says, following her. 

"Don't worry about Kenta-kun," Aoi says. "Boys are silly. You're the best. Did wrestling practice go okay?"

It's good that their houses are so close to each other. Sakura lives further up the hill, in a traditional Japanese house with a koi pond out in front. Aoi's house is only a five minute walk downhill. They get to spend twenty minutes talking, Sakura reporting in her usual way how her wrestling team is going, and how she's always giving them advice. Sato keeps trying to bodyslam people into the ground, as though it's the only move he knows. Hayashi only knows how to headlock. Tanaka is doing well, but Sakura is worried about the inner turmoil he is facing about wrestling and his parents' wish for him to be a doctor. The whole time, Sakura holds her hand gently. 

"I, too, must practice control and stamina," Sakura says. "But otherwise, there is nothing else to report. The wrestling team is blooming, and merely requires tending to until the rivalry begins in the spring."

"Ooooo, that sounds good." Aoi smiles. "I guess when that time comes, we won't be able to see each other as often, like last year."

"You're wrong, Asahina," Sakura says. Aoi glances up at her, but Sakura's eyes are fixed on the road ahead. "In my mind's eye, when I wrestle, I think of you for inspiration."

Aoi stares, and then she giggles. "Sakura-chan," she says, feeling her face turn pink. "I'll think of you, too." Normally, Aoi recites her favorite cartoon theme songs, but thinking of Sakura's face sounds like a much better idea.

When they reach Aoi's house, Aoi doesn't let go of Sakura''s hand. "You should stay the night," she says.

"Asahina," Sakura says. "I do not think that would be a wise idea."

"Don't be silly," Aoi says. She lifts Sakura's hand and kisses the back of it. "I want you to come inside and spend the night. We can study together and then play a little." She smiles. "We'll get more done that way, right?"

"I ... That is sound logic." Sakura nods. "I will stay the night with you, and in the morning go back to my house to change."

They do study, for a little bit. Aoi's bed is small, so Sakura lies on her stomach and reads while Aoi sits cross-legged on Sakura's back, her maths book balanced on one knee and her homework balanced on the other. When Aoi gets confused, she asks Sakura, who carefully rolls over and explains it to her. 

Aoi gets tired around eleven o'clock. She tosses her books on the floor and lies on Sakura's back, her cheek pressed into Sakura's broad shoulder blade. "Sakura-chan," she whines. "I'm sleepy. And hungry. And sleepy. And hungry..."

Sakura carefully rolls around again and sits up, scotting Aoi into her lap. Aoi closes her eyes against Sakura's chest and mumbles, "Don't go home, you promised you'd stay, Sakura-chan ..." and Sakura says, "Of course I will not leave." 

Aoi settles into a corner of the bed, pressing herself up against the wall, and listens to Sakura shuffling around her house. Her parents are home, but they love Sakura. At first, they were shocked at her appearance, but now, her parents are always praising Sakura for being so dedicated and independent. Aoi agrees: Sakura-chan really is wonderful.

The door creaks open and the bed shifts with Sakura's weight. "I have brought sustenance." She presses something soft against Aoi's lips, and Aoi opens her mouth to receive a reheated glazed donut. 

Aoi opens her eyes and looks up at Sakura. She grabs Sakura's hand. "Sakura-chan," she says. "You know ... we haven't done ... _that_ ... in a while."

Sakura is blushing again. Aoi wishes she could take a picture. Instead, she just takes Sakura's hand and licks the sugar off the tips of her fingers.

Sakura looks at her, and Aoi looks back. 

Sakura climbs into bed.

Since the beginning of high school, since always, Sakura has been huge. Even before she became a wrestler and a bodybuilder, everything about her has scared people. Aoi can see why: everything about Sakura seems hard and untouchable. But as Sakura carefully pulls off Aoi's shirt and pants, her big hands caressing her skin, hoarsely whispering Aoi's name, Aoi can't find anything about Sakura that's scary.

*

In the spring, they have less and less time to see each other outside of sports. Aoi catches Sakura in the weight-training room sometimes, and she huffs and pants and and stretches and talks to Sakura while Sakura is lifting the maximum amount of weight on the military press. Sometimes, the wrestling team cools down in the pool, and Aoi spends a little bit of extra time swimming alongside the wrestling team and helping them with their forms. 

Wrestling and swim meets rarely fall on the same day, so each of them do the best they can to go to each other's meetings, when they're not practicing. At wrestling matches, Aoi gets up as close as she can to the wrestling ring, screaming and yelling, shouting and bouncing up and down. 

Afterward, Sakura places a big hand on her shoulder, the sweat running down her forehead, and smiles. 

"You're the best, you're the best, Sakura-chan!" 

Aoi takes her out for tea or shopping afterwards. Sakura always seems happy.

At swim meets, Sakura waits quietly in the front seat. Everyone gives her a wide berth, not only because she is terrifying, but because she's so tall no one can see unless they sit two or three rows behind her. Aoi is so focused on swimming that she usually never sees her until she reaches the end of her lap, her breath racing and the water dripping in front of her goggles. 

Sakura always brings a box of chocolate donuts with her for after the meet. And when Aoi gets tired, she carries Aoi on her back. 

They don't get to stay at each other's houses so much, but Aoi drops off tea in front of Sakura's doorstep in the afternoons, and sometimes Aoi wakes up to extra donuts. 

It's not like it isn't hard. Two weeks into the season, Aoi drags herself out to seven a.m. practice and doesn't find any donuts, much less an extra one. Instead, she has to make her own toast and pour her own orange juice. When she walks down the hill to school, the houses are quiet. There aren't even any birds.

And when she drags herself home at six in the evening, her arms and legs aching, there isn't anyone to complain to. She doesn't get to hear about the wrestling team or any of Sakura's philosophies on wrestling, and life, and all those things that Sakura likes so much--all of the things that make Aoi happy.

She calls Sakura at night, when she gets home. "Sakura-chan, sing me to sleep," she mumbles. 

Sakura has never been good at talking a lot, much less on the phone. "I do not know what to sing," she says.

"Sakura-chan," Aoi whines. 

"I am sorry, Asahina," Sakura says, and Aoi's last name has never sounded so cold or distant before. "I am very tired from practice today. I have many techniques to meditate upon before the next match."

Aoi knows it's not Sakura's fault, but she still says, "But I miss you, Sakura-chan!" 

"I miss you as well." Sakura sounds sad, and Aoi feels guilty, and she rolls herself into the wall.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," Aoi sniffs.

"Please, do not cry."

"We should get tea," Aoi says, trying not to cry, but her throat feels full. "The kind that you like. After your next match. Or on the weekend, if we're both not practicing. Or at meets."

"I would love to accompany you." 

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan."

"Goodnight ... Aoi."

"I really like you," Aoi cries. "Have fun at practice tomorrow." She hangs up and lies pathetically on her side, letting the tears dribble out of her eyes. She doesn't like sleeping alone, and especially not after sort-of fighting with Sakura. She wants Sakura to come over and lie in bed with her, so Aoi can throw one arm around her, like a giant teddy bear, or Sakura can lie around Aoi, spooning her, creating a small cave Aoi can hide in. 

Even as she's sad that she can't spend time with Sakura, Aoi loves swimming, and she knows that Sakura loves wrestling. Aoi knows Sakura would never ask her to give up swimming, and Aoi would never ask Sakura to give up wrestling. 

It's still hard. There are so many things Aoi wants to do with Sakura. But Aoi thinks, _It's okay. Sakura-chan is working hard, too,_ and that thought makes Aoi want to work harder, and harder, and harder, until she can show Sakura all the medals and trophies and say, smiling, "It was all because of Sakura-chan."


End file.
